Practicum Opportunities at GVSU Libraries
We offer paid practicums/internships in fall, winter, and summer (at a rate of $22.50/hr as of 7/18/2024 with alternative options for stipends/etc.). The internship or practicum will take place at Grand Valley State University’s Allendale or Grand Rapids campus with some opportunities for hybrid or fully remote work. It will meet the hours needed for the internship/practicum with potential for additional hours as an adjunct library faculty. There is also the possibility of renewal as an adjunct library faculty in future semesters. Schedules are negotiable within the department’s Monday through Friday office hours.
These paid educational internship/practicums are great opportunities for hands-on experience for current Library and Information Science students. Opportunities are available in all areas of the library with some specific practicums and internships advertised each semester. Candidates from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Participants
- Can join us fall, winter, and/or summer
- Must be able to work in the United States
- Can be paid an hourly rate or receive a stipend/professional development funding if payment is not allowed
- Will receive mentoring, early leadership development, and access to library leadership as well as campus programs
Current Openings
Systems and Discovery Practicum
Grand Valley State University is seeking an intern/practicum graduate student to work on a project to evaluate legacy media collections. Students interested in learning about collection lifecycle management will be introduced to topics such as creating a lifecycle management plan, preservation criteria, and deselection criteria.
This is a great opportunity for a hands-on experience that will prepare a student for librarianship in a collection development or technical services role. Participants will have opportunities to meet with Library administrators and other Library staff in areas of interest, as well as take part in learning opportunities. This is a paid educational internship/practicum for a current Library and Information Science graduate student interested in gaining practical collection development and collection lifecycle management experience.
During the internship, you will:
- Collaborate with librarians and archivists to develop preservation, retention, and deselection criteria
- Design and implement a workflow to evaluate collection materials
- Learn established workflows for searching for alternative media formats and deselecting materials
This practicum will be on-site at the Allendale campus, with the potential to be partially remote. It will meet the hours needed for the internship/practicum. Schedules are negotiable. Compensation will be $22.50 per hour.
Preferred experience: Courses or interest in collection development
Open Educational Resources Curator Practicum
Grand Valley State University is seeking an intern/practicum graduate student (fully remote or hybrid work options) to work as an Open Educational Resources Curator for Winter 2025. This student creates annotated bibliographies of potential OER and Open Access materials for higher-enrollment courses at GVSU, and for other courses by request from faculty. The work will largely consist of investigating syllabi and bookstore information to identify the required materials for high-enrollment courses at GVSU, and then searching indexes and directories including the Open Textbook Library, OER Commons, Directory of Open Access Books, and MERLOT, to find OER which might work to replace current materials. Where comparable OER don’t appear to exist, the OER Curator’s annotations can instead serve as brief gap analyses, outlining any missing elements for action by future OER creators at GVSU or elsewhere.
Supervisor: Matt Ruen
Hours/Compensation: stipulated by the student's graduate program (typically ~160 hours per semester). Compensation will be $22.50 per hour.
Skills needed: familiarity with curriculum and student learning objectives, search acumen, communication
To Apply
Required Qualifications
- At the time of employment, be a graduate student in an American Library Association accredited (and within the United States (financially unable to hire from outside the U.S.), online library/information science program; and be a graduate student who is beyond the first term of their program.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills, such as the ability to interact with others with respect and empathy
- Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility as well as a focus on user needs and experience
- Confident humility – the ability to simultaneously acknowledge one’s own and others’ expertise and values
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working with culturally diverse populations.
- Curiosity – self-identifies and pursues the need for new skills and knowledge
- Ability to function productively and with flexibility in an evolving environment
- Clearly articulated career goals and professional interests related to academic librarianship.
Sending Applications
Please email a cover letter and resume articulating how you fit the required and/or preferred qualifications with the Practicum title you are applying for as the subject to Ashley Rosener at [email protected]. Examples to meet these qualifications may be examples of specific projects completed in the workplace, as part of your education, as a student, in volunteer or nonprofit work, or lived experiences. Qualified candidates will be contacted for short interview process.
If you are interested in a practicum or internship opportunity at GVSU Libraries, please email Ashley Rosener.
As a member of the ACRL Diversity Alliance program, GVSU Libraries are committed to increasing the hiring pipeline of qualified and talented individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups to help diversify and thereby enrich the profession.
Grand Valley State University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution. Minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. We are interested in qualified candidates who can contribute, through their research, teaching, and/or service, to the diversity and excellence of the campus community.
